"God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God."

Matthew 5:9

In this verse, Jesus says that "those who work for peace" (literally, "the peace-doers") are blessed. What does he mean?

When we think of making peace, we envision a conflict that needs to be resolved, either on a national scale or in relationships. Working for peace surely involves an effort to reduce conflict fighting among peoples, whether they be nations, ethnicities, classes, religious groups, friends, colleagues, or family members. Wherever we find ourselves, we should seek to end conflicts of all kinds.

But the biblical notion of peace, shalom in the Old Testament, includes far more than the cessation of warfare. It is a positive concept that draws together ideas of justice and righteousness. If an evil tyrant imposes an unjust society upon people, this is not peaceful from a biblical perspective, even if there is not open revolt against his rule. Similarly, when it comes to personal relationships, peace includes health, intimacy, and mutual respect, not merely the absence of obvious disagreement.

When we work for peace, therefore, we are doing far more than simply "making nice." Yes, we strive to bring an end to conflict. But we are also seeking justice and wholeness in relationships.

You and I may have relatively little ability to be peacemakers in the larger world. But, as followers of Jesus, we have every opportunity and responsibility to work for genuine, expansive peace in our part of the world: at work, in our relationships, at home, in church.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Would those who know you well say that you are one who works for peace? Why or why not? Where in your life right now are there conflicts that need to be stilled? Where are there relationships that need greater wholeness?

PRAYER: Gracious God, in you I find pervasive peace: peace of soul, peace of mind, peace of heart. Through you my relationships become more peaceful, both less conflictual and healthier. Most important of all, I have peace with you through Christ. How I thank you for the gift of peace!

Yet, as a recipient of your manifold peace, I have been called to be a peacemaker. Help me, Lord, to embrace this calling. Give me eyes to see, not only obvious conflict, but also that which lies beneath the surface. Moreover, may I be attentive to injustice, whether it be in my sphere of influence or across the globe. May I use every opportunity you put before me to work for peace, genuine peace. Help me not simply to whitewash over problems that need to be solved. Rather, may I be a channel of your full peace in this world.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

(Last paragraph attributed to St. Francis)